Germany’s asylum system is being slammed as ineffective after new figures revealed that over 80% of asylum seekers are rejected—yet most still stay in the country.
According to Bild, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) approved just 18.2% of asylum applications between January and April 2025. Out of 110,077 cases, 90,018 were rejected.
Despite these numbers, deportations remain low. In 2024, only 20,084 failed asylum seekers were deported, while 33,717 deportations were cancelled. In the first four months of 2025, just 8,163 people were deported, compared to 11,753 failed attempts.
The EU’s Dublin system is also collapsing. In 2024, Germany requested 74,583 transfers to other EU states, but only 5,827 were carried out. In early 2025, just 2,230 of 15,279 attempts were successful. In most cases, the migrants could not be found or deadlines expired.
Approval rates for specific countries were alarmingly low: Syria (0.2%), Colombia (0.4%), and Russia (4.3%). Only Afghan nationals had a majority success rate at 51.8%.
Most asylum seekers were young men—71.7% under 30 and 62.4% male.
Although first-time applications dropped by 46% compared to early 2024—largely due to stricter border controls—over 19,000 illegal entries were still recorded this year.
CSU’s Stephan Mayer said the Dublin system has “failed,” while BSW’s Sahra Wagenknecht warned: “Over 80% of asylum seekers don’t need protection. This shows a total loss of control.”